Advice and Name Lists from Emmy Jo

Substitutes for: Isabella

It’s the ultimate princess name, having been worn by royals in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, France, and Scotland. It’s also a versatile literary choice used by authors from Shakespeare to Jane Austen to Emily Bronte (and more recently, by Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series). But if its top-10 status has you looking further afield, you’ve come to the right place.

If you’re all about the “-bella” or “-ella” ending, consider a few of these options:

Arabella — Though it sounds Italian, Arabella actually originated as a Scottish variant of Annabel. Arabella Fermor was the aristocratic young lady for whom Alexander Pope wrote his mock-heroic poem “The Rape of the Lock.” A fictional Arabella is the humorously idealistic heroine of Charlotte Lennox’s 18th-century novel The Female Quixote.

Annabel/Annabelle/Annabella — Another name with royal and literary ties; Annabella was the daughter of James I of Scotland. (Incidentally, Annabella of Scotland named her only child Isabella.) A beautiful but despicable Annabella appears in Anne Bronte’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

Mirabel/Mirabelle/Mirabella — Latin for “wonderful”; popular during the Middle Ages

Maribel/Maribelle/Maribella/Mariella — All elaborations of Maria

Rosabel/Rosabelle/Rosabella — Mean “beautiful rose”

Gabrielle/Gabriella — French and Spanish feminizations of Gabriel, meaning “strong man of God”; be aware that Gabriella is currently a top-40 pick, so it might not be the best choice if you want something different.

Adela— Another royal name, worn most notably by a daughter of William the conqueror.

Giselle/Gisela/Gisella — A name fit for princesses and peasants. Two medieval royals to wear this name were Giselle of Bavaria, a queen of Hungary, and Gisela, daughter of Charles III. The name is probably more familiar to us a the simple peasant girl who falls in love with a disguised count in the Adolphe Adam’s 19th-century tragic ballet, Giselle.

Graciela/Graziella — Spanish and Italian names meaning “grace.”

Christabel — A highly literary choice, due to its use as the title character in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 19th-century poem.

Jezebel — A biblical bad girl with a gorgeous name; still, I can’t help but feel that it’s not the ideal choice for a daughter. The biblical Jezebel brought idol worship into Israel and murdered numerous Jewish priests; she was eventually killed and eaten by dogs. In popular culture, the word Jezebel has become synonymous with a promiscuous woman, though this is not supported by the Bible text.

Amabel — A medieval name meaning “lovable”; later reinterpreted as Annabel or Annabelle

Bluebell — A flower name chosen by Geri Halliwell (a.k.a. Ginger Spice) for her daughter; perhaps better suited to the middle name slot.

If you’d like a less expected way to get to the nickname “Bella”, try:

Belinda — A 17th-century coinage, possibly meaning “beautiful dragon” or “beautiful and tender.” Alexander Pope chose this name for the heroine of “The Rape of the Lock.” The fictional Belinda is modeled after the real Arabella. Though the name sounds dated to some, it is beginning to get some notice on baby naming message boards, and I think it could be due for a revival.

Bellisant — An obscure medieval French name, appearing in the romance titled Valentine and Orson. I assume it should be pronounced bell-ih-SAHNT in French, though I suppose it could be Anglicized to BELL-ih-sint.

Belicia — A Mexican elaboration of Isabel or Elizabeth, thus meaning “my God is an oath” or “dedicated to God”; properly pronounced bay-LEE-see-uh in Spanish

Belladonna — The ultimate femme fatale name. While it literally means “beautiful woman” in Italian, it is another name for the highly toxic deadly nightshade plant.

Bellamy — A Welsh surname, associated with American country music singers The Bellamy Brothers and 18th-century pirate Samuel Bellamy.

Bellatrix — Means “female warrior.” Bellatrix is a star in the constellation Orion and a character in the Harry Potter books.

Belina — While it’s the name of two European villages (one in Poland and one in Slovakia), it makes me think most of champagne cocktails (mmm… peach bellinis!) and Dorothy’s chicken in Return to Oz (though her name was spelled Billina).

Bellona — The Roman goddess of war; her name is perhaps too similar to a common lunch meat to make this a suitable choice for a modern child.

Belour — An Afghan name meaning “crystal.”

If it’s the “Izzy” potential that draws you, you might want to try:

Isabeau — Isabelle and Isabeau were both medieval French forms of Elizabeth. While Isabelle caught on and spread throughout most of Europe (not unlike the bubonic plague), the historical record leaves us very few Isabeaus. The most notable is 14th-century Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen Consort of France and wife of Charles VI.

Isidora/Isadora — Means “gift of Isis.” Spelled Isidora, the name was worn by a 6th century Egyptian saint and is currently very popular in Chile. Spelled Isadora, it makes us think of Isadora Duncan, the mother of Modern Dance.

Isolde — Tristan’s beautiful love in Arthurian legend. If Tristan has made such a comeback, then why not Isolde? (While the pronunciation might not be as intuitive, most pronounce it ih-SOLD-uh or ih-ZOLD-uh. I’ve also heard it pronounced ih-SOOLT.)

Isannah — Probably an 18th-century combination of Isabella and Hannah or Susannah. Paul Revere used it for one of his daughters, and it was picked up on by Esther Forbes for her historical novel Johnny Tremain. (I pronounce the name as eye-ZAN-uh, though it’s obscure enough you’d be free to pronounce it as you wish.)

If you’re drawn to the name’s rhythm or overall feel, you might also like:

Anastasia — If you’re looking for something with a European royalty vibe, consider Anastasia. It has the same rhythm as Isabella, and Anastasia was the daughter of Czar Nicholas II. The 1997 animated film adds to the little-girl princessy appeal.

Evelina — If you’re drawn to Isabella’s romantic literary feel, consider Evelina. It has the same rhythm, and virtuous Evelina (pronounced ev-uh-LIE-nuh) was the title character in Frances Burney’s 18th century novel. The name probably means “desired.”

Camilla/Camila — Camilla, like Isabella, sounds both thoroughly Victorian and thoroughly Latina. If you’re looking for something with similar cross-cultural appeal that will sound classic in both English and Spanish, Camilla’s a much less used option. The double-l spelling is more common in English; choose the single-l spelling to honor Spanish heritage.

Magdalena — The Spanish, Scandinavian, and Eastern European version of Magdalene/Madeline/Madeleine. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a saint’s name, as Mary Magdalene was a biblical follower of Christ.

Mariana — Those who remember the virtuous Shakespearean Isabella (from Measure for Measure) will likely also remember sweet Mariana. She was abandoned by her betrothed for lack of a dowry, and her plight inspired Alfred Lord Tennyson’s 1830 poem “Mariana of the Moated Grange.” Her name has the same frilly rhythm as Isabella, but it’s much less popular.

I’d love to hear which (if any) of these Isabella substitutes appeal most to you (or appeal the least), and please feel free to suggest others I haven’t listed.

Hay i really liked you name choices. I understand what you mean about Isabelle or Isabella its becoming really really popular but their are some cute substitutes out there. Like Arabella, Isolde and Isadora. There my favourite! I really like for isabelle ‘belle’ as a nickname but i dont think you can call your child a nickname, i guess then they have the choice to go by nickname or fullname
Ive never heard of Isaura. it intrigues me probably because it looks so much like Laura

Darla — Rosaline Helena is a beautiful name. It’s very Shakespearean. Tell them I think they made a great choice!

I’m glad they like Evelina. She’s one of my favorites from this list simply because she’s one you don’t see too often.

I can’t help but wonder if Rosaline and Evelina might sound a bit too similar (because of the repeated “lin” sound). Perhaps they would be better as Rosalind and Evelina or Rosamund and Evelina. But maybe the repeated “lin” sound is part of the appeal for twins.

I’m not sure how related to Isabella these are but Evangelina and Josephina have a similar feel to me. Kerensa is another recent favorite of mine with an “a” ending but feels a lot different for some reason.
Out of these the ones I’ve really liked recently are Mirabel and Adela. I loved Belinda as a kid and named a doll after her – I think she was a character in a book I liked, but I would be surprised to actually meet a Belinda! But thanks for bringing Eveline and Magdalena (I love Madeline/Madeleine) to my attention.

Love love quite a few of these. The only ones I have a problem is Gabrielle, since it is way way too close in pronounciation to the masculine boy’s name with Gabriel. Also dislike Jezebel, for reasons you have stated. To me it is very trashy and not at all a smart choice for a little girl and especially not for a grown woman.

I simply adore Isabeau. Mabelle is another -belle name that is gorgeous. It is the French term of endearment, meaning “My beautiful one” or “My beautiful girl”.

I love your “if you like…” posts – they’re so interesting and well-thought out. You always come up with some beautiful, unexpected, but still related names.

We actually started at Isobel when naming our daughter and considered many of your list of names. Isadora was under serious consideration right down to the wire and I still love it. (We ended up with an “I” name – Imogen – maybe because we started with Isobel and not Isabella – the rhythm fits.)

But I also adore Annabel, Gisela (I really tried to get the other half to consider this one, to no avail!), Mariana/Marian, and Magdalena (great nns: Magda, Lena and Maggie).

Bellatrix is fun (we briefly had considered Beatrix), but I can’t help but think Harry Potter. Even so, it’s a great “Bella” name.

Thanks, JNE! Imogen is beautiful. Perhaps it should have been on the list — like Isabella, it’s a Shakespearean “I” name. Still, Imogen has the spare feel of Isobel and not the frilly vibe of Isabella.

Dulcibella is a favored (GP) alternative to Isabella for me. It’s perhaps overly sweet, but it balances a lot of the harsher names that I’d pair it with, and it stands up to our last name… but I’d never get it past my husband. His first choice for a girl? Mackenzie.

I also like the option of a “Bella” or “Dulcie” as nicknames– one is ‘blend in’, the other is ‘stand out’.

Dulcibella is pretty! It is rather sugary, but it seems it would fit in fine with some of today’s frillier girls’ names (Isabella, Liliana, etc.). Thanks — it’s a great addition to the list. Where did you find it?

I do somewhat like the literary Dulcinea (from “Don Quixote”) — again, it’s very sugary, but pretty.

I think I may have originally found Dulcibella on Behind The Name. It says the usual medieval spelling was Dowsabel, but I like the Latinized version, Dulcibella. It might be a little over-the-top with the sugary sweetness, but it is certainly a different way to get to Bella.

I’ve had a secret name crush on Dulcinea since the first time I heard it.

I love Arabella. It reminds me of a little disney princess!
I also Love, Love, Love, LOVE Rosabella! There are so many nickname possibilities to go with it.
Love Adela!
Love Gisella!
Like Bluebell!
Belladonna is interesting!
I used to hate Isabeau, but it’s growing on me.
I also love Anastasia and Evalina.
Thanks so much for this marvelous post 🙂

I remember way back when I was in kindergarten a friend of mine named her kitten Isabella. It was not a popular name back then, but I instantly fell in love with it. I liked it until Nicole Kidman & Tom Cruise used it and then everyone seemed to use it. I don’t like it anymore. From this list I like,

Thanks for reminding me how much I love Belladonna, and for introducing me to Isannah! I like the pronunciation iz-ON-uh best though. Another name this list brings to mind is Juliana. Great post, because I love the names Isabella and Isobel, but it’s entirely too popular right now. I originally wanted to use it because my great-grandmother, and immigrant from Lithuania, was named Isabel Elizabeth, and Isabel isn’t (wasn’t) as common as Elizabeth.

Hey thanks for this great post! I have always loved the name Isabelle (and more recently also Isabella), however both are now such common names, and I personally prefer something slightly less regular. Especially growing up with a unique name and loving it. But none-the-less I love both the “Isa” (which I have heard used as a nickname) I like “Izzy” and love “Bella”.

I like Evelina (or Evelyn, not listed, but similar to Evelina)

Isannah and Isaura are are both totally unique and totally new to me, and the seem easy enough to pronounce, I love them! Problem is my husband doesn’t like anything that sounds “strange”. Only names that he’s heard before seem to be of any interest….

Annabella or Annabel is another one I love

Evangelina is nice, but I’m not sure about it…

Belicia is interesting and unusual, sounds very similar to Melissa (my sister)

Emmy Jo I loved the post you made on my Answers in Yahoo and I found your profile to ask more questions and found this. I love this list! I have to admit ever since I was 5 I have loved, LOVED the name Isabeau! I heard it from the movie Ladyhawk. If I could have I would have used Nevar also, but husband says no and I just read in another of your posts not to use lovers, opps! But when I first started talking to my husband about baby names I told him I loved Elora and Isabeau and he said no until I persuaded him to at least use Elora. But is there a way I can work them together? I am not sure, but the pronuciation in French sounds like eeza-bow right?

I don’t speak French, but I think you are right about the French pronunciation. If you live in an English-speaking area, I think it would get Anglicized to IZZ-uh-boe (akin to the English pronunciation of Isabel), which is certainly just as pretty.

Elora Marilyn Isabeau is kind of a mouthful. The closest combo of the two I can think of is Isaura (mentioned above) — because the other option seems to be Elbow, and that’s just ridiculous. 🙂 Actually, on second thought, perhaps Elsa or Eloisa might work. Or you might like Sabina — it has some of the sounds of Isabeau with the rhythm of Elora.

Maybe save Isabeau for a future second daughter? Your husband may come around to it by then, or you might find a shorter first name you love and then talk him into Isabeau as a second middle.